Health for life

When learning about B12, I was reminded of an article I read a little while ago about B12 deficiency called B12 deficiency: a silent epidemic with serious consequences. The author makes the case that our definition of B12 deficiency may be set too low, and that we can still see symptoms of deficiency at levels that are now considered normal. Currently in the United States, a serum B12 level of less than 100 pg/ml will get you diagnosed with a deficiency, while a range of 200-900 pg/ml is considered normal. But research indicates that those with B12 levels between 200-350 pg/ml, especially older adults, may still show deficiency sypmtoms.

Why is this important? Because B12 is involved in the nervous system and for myelin sheath formation, one of the most common deficiency symptoms is neurological impairment. This could manifest in several ways, including problems with cognition, decreased mobility, or impaired memory. In the elderly, how do we know whether a decline in cognitive function is due to simple aging or due to a subclinical B12 deficiency? We dont. Especially if were A) not testing for serum B12, and B) our deficiency level is set too low.

Interestingly, Japan has increased their cutoff for B12 deficiency to a serum level of 550 pg/ml (confirmed by Wikipedia)... very much higher than our cutoff of 100 pg/ml. Anyone below that level receives treatment. The Japanese also have lower rates of Alzheimers disease and other dementia compared to us here in the States. Its just an association, but there may be a connection there between higher serum B12 in the Japanese and a lack of cognitive decline.

Based on this information, it would seem prudent to keep an eye on B12 status, especially in the elderly. According to the lecture notes, about 15% of the elderly are B12 deficient; the figures in the study cited above place that number at up to 40%. But we dont know how many reside at the low-normal level (a level that would be considered deficient in Japan). B12 supplementation seems to provide far more potential benefit than risk, so I see no reason why we dont give it a shot in those who are subclinically deficient, especially if we can prevent more serious symptoms if levels were to continue to drop.

Study Highlights:

*Visible signs of aging may predict your risk of heart disease.

*A receding hairline, baldness, earlobe crease and yellow fatty deposits on the eyelids were among signs of aging associated with an increased risk of heart disease.


If you look old, your heart may feel old, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2012.

In a new study, those who had three to four aging signs — receding hairline at the temples, baldness at the head’s crown, earlobe crease, or yellow fatty deposits around the eyelid (xanthelasmata) — had a 57 percent increased risk for heart attack and a 39 percent increased risk for heart disease .

“The visible signs of aging lect physiologic or biological age, not chronological age, and are independent of chronological age,” said Anne Tybjaerg-Hansen, M.D., the study’s senior author and professor of clinical biochemistry at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

Researchers analyzed 10,885 participants 40 years and older (45 percent women) in the Copenhagen Heart Study. Of these, 7,537 had frontoparietal baldness (receding hairline at the temples), 3,938 had crown top baldness, 3,405 had earlobe crease, and 678 had fatty deposits around the eye.

In 35 years of follow-up, 3,401 participants developed heart disease and 1,708 had a heart attack.

Individually and combined, these signs predicted heart attack and heart disease independent of traditional risk factors. Fatty deposits around the eye were the strongest individual predictor of both heart attack and heart disease.

Heart attack and heart disease risk increased with each additional sign of aging in all age groups and among men and women. The highest risk was for those in their 70s and those with multiple signs of aging.

In the study, nurses and laboratory technicians noted the quantity of gray hair, prominence of wrinkles, the type and extent of baldness, the presence of earlobe crease and eyelid deposits.

“Checking these visible aging signs should be a routine part of every doctor’s physical examination,” Tybjaerg-Hansen said.